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Beta Blockers for Anxiety

Beta blockers for anxiety are used to keep the adrenaline a person feels from having such a great impact on the body. During an anxiety attack, physical symptoms can present which include fast breathing, rapid heart rate and shaking or trembling.

This class of medication blocks the way and prevents receptors from getting certain signals. These physical symptoms of an anxiety attack or anxiety disorder can be managed when the medication is used correctly.

There is some debate in the medical community about the use of this drug during normal bouts of anxiety such as when preparing for a public appearance or getting interviewed for a job.

Beta blockers should never be used for normal anxiety since one of the purposes of the drug is to slow down the heart rate. Once normal anxiety has passed and the heart rate returns to the proper beats per minute, the risk of the heart beating too slow can become a problem. Only people with current, ongoing, chronic anxiety should consider taking a beta blocker to manage the stress to the body.

When the doctor says he’s prescribing beta blockers for anxiety, what he’s saying is he’s going to give you a medication that will prevent the body from reacting to the anxiety. Much like a football player blocks a play by performing a tackle on his opponent, this medication keeps the adrenaline from scoring a reaction. Before you get on medication to treat your anxiety, make sure you understand the type of anxiety you have and how taking a blocker can help.

Once you are on this type of medication, keep a watchful eye on how it affects your blood pressure. If you take high blood pressure medicine, taking a beta blocker too can cause your blood pressure to drop too low since these are also used to manage that condition as well.

Most side effects of a beta blocker are very mild and people tolerate them well. If you must take the medication long term, never suddenly stop taking it on your own since they must be stopped gradually to minimize the stress to the heart.

The upside of using a blocker over other anxiety medications is that the long term effects are good and you can start out on a low dosage. Plus, they bring some added health benefits to the body.

One of the benefits is that they work to help protect the heart. There are different types of beta blockers for anxiety and your doctor should work with you to find the pill that works for you.

If you exercise, you many notice that you might not be able to get your heart rate as high as you have in the past.

In that case, one measure of the quality of your workout may have to become more subjective. Instead of heart rate, you may have to use sweat, fatigue, windedness, ect. as measures of your workout.

I have never paid attention to heart rate, and have always used the subjective measures, especially the sweat index. I can measure fairly accurately after all these years about how much water weight I have lost to sweat based on the highly scientific measure of my t-shirt and where it is wet.

If it at the 3 lb. level, I am satisfied, and after I finish a set of weigh lifting exercises, if I am breathing hard, my sense is that I have fatigued the muscle and the heart rate is high and in the safe range, so I think the subjective measures for exercise are fine.

Subsequent to finishing a workout and a good shower, I feel relaxed and cleansed and I am ready to get on with the day.

Part of the reason I work out the way I do is because if I do not, I can get a bit irritable by the end of the day, and a major part of my workout rationale is the brain fitness aspect.

I want to take care of the pillars of brain fitness every day, and physical exercise is the most important pillar, so a beta blocker for anxiety would mean I would not quit working out.

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